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Amnesty International to 'monitor' trial of jailed leaders to assess whether it is 'fair'

Human Rights NGO calls year-long detention "unjustifiable"

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30 November 2018 11:09 AM

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ACN | Barcelona

Amnesty International is committed to "continue to denounce" the situation the Catalan pro-independence jailed leaders are going through and it will put special focus on the upcoming trial against them.

"In the coming months, the oral hearings of the trial will begin; we will monitor these to assess whether fair trial guarantees are fulfilled," reads a letter the NGO sent this week to Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez, the leaders of the largest pro-independence organizations in October 2017.

Sent by Fotis Filippou, the campaigns director of the organization's Europe Regional Office, and the heads of Spain and Catalonia, the letter claims that their year-long pre-trial detention is "unjustifiable."

Withdrawal of rebellion and sedition charges

"We will continue to denounce [it] until you are released and the charges of rebellion and sedition are withdrawn."

"We will continue to denounce [it] until you are released and the charges of rebellion and sedition are withdrawn"

Amnesty International

In fact, Amnesty International believes that the Spanish authorities only could prosecute them for "a public order offence" for allegedly attempting to prevent police from carrying out their raids against the referendum logistics on September 20, 2017.

Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly

"We highlight now that the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly includes the possibility for individuals and civil society organizations to express their opinions about the independence referendum at any time," reads the text.

Amnesty International commits to "keep undertaking actions" from their offices in Barcelona, Madrid and London to support Sànchez and Cuixart.